July 31, 2007

Strawberry Mirror Cake... Ice Cream

If you’re a Daring Baker, then you’re probably looking at that top picture and thinking to yourself “Um, Brilynn, did you realize your mirror cake is upside down?And why does it look like it’s frozen?”If you’re not a Daring Baker, you’re probably thinking “What the heck is a mirror cake and what does it have to do with ice cream?”There’s a perfectly logical explanation to both sets of questions, I swear.1- Just because it was supposed to be a mirror cake, doesn’t mean that’s what I ended up with.2- If it were a mirror cake, you’re right, it would be upside down.3- It is most certainly frozen.

I tried to follow the rules, I really did, but I was experiencing some seriously negative kitchen karma that day because somehow, everything I did was wrong.Let’s rewind a little bit, shall we?I was trying to make a Strawberry Mirror Cake because that was the recipe that Peabody had selected for this month’s Daring Baker Challenge.It was no surprise that Peabody selected such an elegant dessert for our challenge, everything she makes is spectacular.It really should have come as no surprise either that I managed to goof it up.I’m very good at that.What I was supposed to create was 2 layers of sponge cake surrounded by a strawberry Bavarian cream and topped with a glossy strawberry gelatin layer.What I ended up with was Strawberry Cake ice cream.

I didn’t immediately jump to making ice cream, it began innocently enough with me assembling all of the ingredients and making only one substitution; I set to making the cake as directed. The agar-agar was my one substitution and it was in place of gelatin.It came from a random Chinatown shopping trip where I decided that I needed it without really knowing what it was or how it was used except that it sounded like something I’d need for a molecular gastronomy type dish.Of course I’ve never put it to use and it’s languished in my cupboard until the mirror cake came along.I read about one of the other Daring Bakers who couldn’t use gelatin and was replacing it with agar-agar so I figured I was safe to do so as well since I had no intentions of going into town to pick up the forgotten gelatin, (I shake my fist in the general direction of town).

After making the cake and the Bavarian cream and putting the two together, I left the cake in the fridge, (sans mirror) for a while, hoping it would do as it was supposed to and firm up.After hours of fridge time and no sign of solidification I decided I would just pour the mirror on top of my floating cake island and hope for the best.At first, I was pleasantly surprised. Oooh look at the pretty mirror!It’s all nice and glossy and red.Maybe my cake can be saved after all.Wait, what’s happening?What’s that hole?Where is the mirror going?Noooooooooooo!A sink hole had opened up and I watched as the mirror portion drained down to the bottom of the cake pan, never to be seen again.It was actually pretty cool to watch, I just wish I hadn’t been the only to witness it.

After watching the last few drops of mirror disappear underneath my floating cake island I accepted the fact that my cake was going to be ‘different’ and I got out the ice cream machine.Part way through the churning process Dad walked into the kitchen, looked from the empty cake pan to the ice cream machine and back to the empty cake pan before saying “Uh, were you supposed to do that?”No, no I wasn’t, but after 4 hours in the fridge and not even a hint of becoming firm, short of starting over again, this was all I could do.That’s when Dad’s kitchen smarts kicked in and he suggested that when the ice cream machine was done doing its job, that I pour the frozen cake ice cream into my new silicone bundt pan before putting it in the freezer so that it would still look like a cake, even if it was a frozen one.Genius!This got the wheels in my head turning a little and I decided to also create a mini version in a ramekin which I topped with leftover strawberry juice to create the illusion of a mirror.For a while I debated whether or not my faux strawberry mirror cake could pass as the real thing, but then I wouldn’t have a story to tell you.It’s more fun to read a post about my disasters than if everything had been smooth sailing.Plus, this will make you more impressed with me when I do something and it turns out right.

To check out all of the other Daring Bakers, it’s now easier than ever, just click here to be taken to the Daring Bakers Blogroll.I promise you, they can show you what a real mirror cake should look like. Check out Peabody's post for the original recipe and an example of a gorgeous cake.

curses to agar-agar! i tried it for the first time, too, and i wasn't very successfull either. i didn't really know how to incorporate the step of dissolving it into the recipe, and my bavarian was pasty/grainy. looked ok, but didn't taste so good--we just ate 2 baby slices out of a 10 inch cake. boo. nice save by you tho!

Oh no! That is hilarious though. Did it work? How did it taste?? It totally occurred to me that the cream has all the ingredients for ice cream, so hopfully it was good! I guess this is a cautionary tale for anyone who was hoping to swap agar agar for gelatin in recipes - I've always heard it's really strong - go figure!

Great save, Brilynn. And, seeing as how much of an ice cream fan you are, at least you got to enjoy the results. After I finished my cake I wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible, so I made my partner take it to work.

Well, it was a damn good save at least. The last time I used agar-agar I was making anmitsu and the agar gelled almost too good. I'd bet there is something fishy with the agar or maybe the conversion is messed up.

Either way, your IC cake looks good and probably had a better shelf life than mine.

I bought some agar-agar recently because I was hoping to make vegan rice crispy squares (using vegan marshmallows). Now I'm scared to use it! Good for you for turning your cake into something different. I'm really curious as to how it tasted. Sounds like it would be really good.

I love your story -- the stories are what make these daring baking challenges fun -- and your "when life gives you lemons" attitude. Most people would have tossed the mess into the trash and called it a day. A Daring Baker improvises.

Okay, really I do know that it is wrong to laugh at the misfortunes of others... but, but... I just can't help myself!

-Elizabeth

P.S. I'm with Lydia and secretly (or not so secretly, now that I'm blabbing), I think your failed mirror cake looks much more inviting than the real mirror cake. Sometimes, mirrors are overrated. And strawberry ice cream is the best!

Incredible story! Incredible cake!This is really exceptional. Again, it simply seems impossible that with the same recipe there are so many different stories and cake to tell!I say you turned this one upside down and came away a great success!Amazing!